Blumhouse Productions, the house of horror that has given audiences countless sleepless nights, is back with another bone-chilling thriller—Speak No Evil. Set to terrify Philippine audiences starting September 11, this latest Blumhouse feature promises to be a cinematic experience you won’t easily forget.
A Haunting Reimagining
The story behind Speak No Evil began with a simple phone call to producer Jason Blum. The call was from an executive who had just watched the 2022 Danish film Gaesterne, a thriller so unnerving it demanded immediate attention. Intrigued, Blum watched the film, and by the time the credits rolled, he was convinced of its potential.
“I’m always glad to be the guy who gets the call when someone sees something disturbing— if it ruins your day, call me!— so I arranged to see it and I was floored. As it unfolded, I recoiled with each new revelation, and when it was over, I couldn’t shake it. I believed that in the right hands, an English language reinterpretation could be a very memorable, very unsettling, very special film,” Blum says.
A Vacation Turned Nightmare
Speak No Evil tells the story of an American family—Ben, Louise, and their pre-teen daughter, Agnes—who find themselves struggling with the mundane realities of life in England. When they meet a seemingly charming British family, led by the charismatic Paddy, they are invited to a picturesque farmhouse in the countryside. However, what starts as an idyllic escape soon spirals into a nightmare, as the family’s deepest fears are brought to life.
James Watkins, the visionary horror writer-director behind the film, immediately saw the potential within the story. “I loved the sly and relatable conceit: people on holiday questioning the direction of their lives and befriending a couple who they think might hold the answers,” Watkins says. “The film really hooked me on a thematic level: its exploration of how modern society shackles us with rules and how we struggle to negotiate them.”
A Tale of Modern Fears
The film dives deep into the psyche of its characters, particularly Ben, who is struggling with the feeling that life has passed him by. “The Daltons, particularly Ben, have been ground down by life, or at least, their lives don’t match up to the packaged perfect lives they are daily told they should be living by the feeds on their devices,” Watkins says. “‘Affluenza’ used to be the term – people who have lots of material things but are still struggling emotionally. Ben is particularly troubled. He feels that he’s past his prime, on the scrapheap. He’s not sure how to negotiate the modern world and its new codes,” Watkins says.
When the Dalton family arrives at the British farmhouse, their dreams of an authentic, rural escape are quickly shattered. The situation rapidly devolves into a twisted exploration of privilege, social norms, and the dangerous allure of a simpler, more primal existence.
“Paddy opens a door for Ben that makes him wonder: is there a better way of living?” Watkins continues. “But when they visit the farm so Ben can live out these fantasies of rural authenticity, things aren’t quite what they imagined. The film becomes a kind of ‘check your privilege’ morality tale: Be careful what you wish for when you are complacent about your security and comforts, when you’re feeling trapped by ‘social norms’ and when you want to loosen up and find your animal self. You may think you want danger. But when real danger comes, do you even know how to deal with it?”
Don’t Miss Out
Darkness unfolds and horror reigns as Speak No Evil makes its way to Philippine cinemas on September 11, courtesy of Universal Pictures International. Prepare for a film that will haunt your thoughts long after you’ve left the theater.
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